


Not The Apple Pie Life

by Krasimer



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: And Taako is still mad, And lived another ten on top of that, Art Goodfriend is number one on Taako's list of Fuck You, But there is a lot to be angry about, But they're still family, Family is supposed to make you miserable, Gen, Laughter, Lucretia fucked up a lot, Lucretia laughs, Lucretia lost twenty years of her life in Wonderland., Mentions of teamwork building exercises, So she's in her goddamned fifties, Taako is aware of how short human lives are, Taako is trying, Taako jokes, but he doesn't want her to die without having at least tried to get over his anger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-09
Updated: 2018-03-09
Packaged: 2019-03-29 04:16:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13919196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krasimer/pseuds/Krasimer
Summary: Taako confronts Lucretia in her office.It's not about what you would think.





	Not The Apple Pie Life

There were _maybe_ ten seconds of warning footsteps before the door to Lucretia’s office was slammed open.

“So you’re telling me,” Taako looked angry, his eyebrows drawn down, his hands clenched at his sides. If he were holding a wand, it would likely be sparking – there were downsides to him being constantly angry at her and being the most powerful transmutation wizard on any plane. “That you sent us through that _bullshit_ even while knowing _everything?”_

“…Taako,” Lucretia felt a tremor of sadness run through her, an internal critic screaming at her for everything she had done. “I’m –”

“No,” Taako shook his head. “Nuh-uh. You sent cha’boi into a goddamned teamwork building exercise. I had to give constructive criticism, Creesh. To Merle. I had to hear it, too. Fuckin’ Art and all his bullshit, Creesh! Art Goodfriend!”

Lucretia paused, staring at him, then burst into laughter.

In between gasping breaths, as she bent double, grasping desperately at the back of her chair, Lucretia saw him lean against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest with a small smile. When she could finally breathe normally again, Taako grinned for a second before schooling his expression into something much more serious.

“Trust falls, Creesh. He had us doing fuckin’ trust falls. I made a wall tiny!”

She broke again, feeling almost sick as she laughed. She had missed his wit, the humor he managed to make out of just about anything. Taako had always been one of the ones dragging her in to orbit around the others, even when he never said anything.

Taako waited again, this time his amused expression shifting into something more somber. “…It’s going to take a while to forgive you, Creesh. You hurt me. A lot. You took away my sister, even when I thought she was already gone. You took away my family – including you. You took away everyone and you left me alone. I’m not,” he spread his arms, gesturing at himself. “I’m not a good person when I’m alone. I think I proved that, minimum, once a fucking week while working for you without my memories.”

He chuckled a little, wincing at his own words. “At least at the base of them, Magnus and Merle are sort of good people.” Mismatched eyes looked up at her, then shifted to look elsewhere. “Glamour Springs is what happens when I’m alone, Creesh. Even though I wasn’t alone, Phandolin is what happens when I make choices while still feeling alone.” He drew a shuddering breath and Lucretia waited.

She waited and she listened and she watched the elf that was as good as a brother to her, had once been as good as a brother to her, take another breath. The second one was a little more steady than the last.

She had to ask.

“What… _Exactly_ what did happen,” Lucretia shrunk back a little, his gaze coming back to her. “In Glamour Springs?”

“Not really important now, I guess,” Taako shrugged one shoulder. It was almost nonchalant, but she knew him too well. “Had a cooking show – live and in person, adored by all, had a sous chef who poisoned a bunch of people and they all died and I thought it was all my fucking fault for years and years. Partially was – I didn’t poison them, but I didn’t check for anything wrong, either. I acted like an ass, Sazed – his name, bee-tee-dubs – decided he was angry at me for it and fucked me over.” Taako dropped his gaze to the ground, apparently finding something particularly interesting in a spot on the carpet. “So…Yeah. After the day of Story and Song, Sazed turned himself in. Apparently, he felt really fuckin’ guilty for framing one of the people working to save his ass and the collective asses of every plane of everywhere ever.”

“Sazed,” Lucretia frowned at the name, then nodded. “Taako, that wasn’t your fault. I’ve heard about it, before. Glamour Springs, I mean. Not in detail, I never knew what exactly…” she shook her head. “I just…” she swallowed her words, suddenly realizing that they weren’t enough.

It was a risky decision, but she crossed the room and pressed her forehead to his shoulder.

For just a moment, she was a fresh-faced twenty-two-year-old, alone and scared on an interplanar mission. Taako had decided early on to drag her out of her little bubble of a room and into the common area.

She had promptly said something stupid and, when she began berating herself over it, Taako had dragged her in with a one-armed hug and a grin. The same position they were in now, almost.

Taako turned his head to stare at her once more, shifting so that his legs crossed where he stood against the walls. “Hey, Creesh.”

“Yes?”

“I’m glad you’re still alive,” she felt the bottom of his chin impact gently on top of her head for a moment before he pulled away. “I’ll come see you sometime next week.”

And just like that, he was out of her office.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey again. 
> 
> So.
> 
> Lucretia fucked up a lot. She did it out of love for her family and she tried to put them in places of happiness, but she fucked up a lot. Taako lost literally everyone, with no memory of even having anyone. He lost Lup twice and then he lost everyone else.
> 
> I imagine he has a long way to go before he forgives her -- if he ever even does. But, in this story, he is trying.


End file.
